Headlines

Welcome back, Carter

Jeff Carter made his return to Philadelphia today, but not in the way the All-Star center would have liked it.

Carter has missed the last eight games with a broken right foot, and has yet to resume skating.

Broken feet are nothing new to Carter -- he broke both feet during the Flyers' run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final -- and this time, he said he's being smart about allowing this injury to heal fully rather than hurry his return just to play against his former team.

"I wasn't going to rush back just to get into this game," he said. "I have to worry about getting healthy, that's the first thing."

Carter said it was an emotional experience walking into the Wells Fargo Center this morning. Prior to the June trade that sent him to the Blue Jackets, it was his only NHL home.

"It's a little weird being on the other side now," he said. "It's different. It's actually first time I've ever been down here (visiting locker room). It's a big change, but it is what it is."

Carter said one of the things he misses most about Philadelphia are the fans.

"I had six great years here," he said. "I enjoyed coming to the rink and playing in front of the fans every night. Everybody says it's one of the best places to play, and the fans are a huge part of that. It makes it a lot easier for guys to go on the ice and play good hockey when you have fans like that behind you."

Contact Adam Kimelman at akimelman@nhl.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK